Fire and Ice
by BlackxTigris
Summary: Lilondra lives a quite life in Hollow Bastion. Until a wounded stranger falls into her hands out of nowhere... Eventual Axel/OC
1. A Stranger In Need

The sky burned a deep orange as the sun was setting, casting long shadows over the world of Hollow Bastion. A young woman sat poised on the railing of a set of stone stairs, gazing out t the blue canyons below. All was quiet. The street was empty, and the shops had closed for the evening. A soft wind graced the girl's pale cheeks, and pushed her wavy brown hair about her face. She gave a sigh as her hazel eyes scanned the horizon, admiring its beauty. The girl stiffened as she heard someone ascending the stone steps, but relaxed when she recognized the familiar figure. It was a young man, with a broad sword over one shoulder. His blue eyes were downcast as he neared the top of the stairs.

"Hey, Cloud," the young woman said as he stopped in front of her.

"Lilondra," he greeted with a slight nod.

"Any heartless about?" she asked him. Cloud removed his large sword from his shoulder and set it down in front of him. He gave a sigh as he leaned against the wall beside the girl's railing, and rested his hands on the sword's handle.

"Not more than the usual," he said softly in his low voice. Lilondra had befriended Cloud shortly after moving to Hollow Bastion. Her older brother had been good friends with him, and Cloud had promised to watch over her after his death. The girl soon learned that the warrior was the quiet type, keeping to himself most often.

His blonde spiky hair swayed in the breeze, and his bright blue eyes gazed out at the sunset.

"I have to talk to Cid. Be careful walking home," the blonde instructed, lifting his sword, "Goodnight, Lily," he said, and started walking down the street.

"Night, Cloud," the girl called. She watched him go, and then returned her attention to the scenery. The sky grew darker with each passing moment, and soon the streetlights flickered on. The woman raised her arms above her head in a stretch, and leaped off of the railing. She looked up at the sky once more, and sighed before taking the same path down the street that Cloud had.

Lily stopped and tensed as she heard a low whooshing sound from behind her. The girl pivoted, to find a swirling mass of dark tendrils and smoke. Her hand flew to the old book resting in the bag at her side as she made out a dark figure among the cloudy purple and black mass. The smoke cleared to reveal a figure on their knees, leaned over. The person was clad in a black coat, torn and bloody. Long, flaming red hair spiked away from their face, which was contorted with pain. The figure's bright green eyes darted questioningly around, seeming to wonder if they were transported here by mistake. The figure, a man, scrambled to stand, clutching his stomach. He lurched forward with a shudder, attempting to gain control of his balance, but tumbled headlong down the flight of steps. Lily's hand slowly fell back to her side, and she stared in shock. The girl sprinted to the top of the stone stairs, and gaped at the path of blood leading to the crumpled form of the flame-haired man. A groan emitted from his body as he stirred. Lily ran down the steps, and stood hesitantly at his side. He lifted his head, and stared up at her with blazing green eyes. The man jerked away from her as she knelt down.

"Leave me alone," he snarled. Scrapes and cuts raked across his face as well as his body, and deep crimson blood seeped from them. The long black coat he wore was torn in multiple places, and the left sleeve barely hung from his arm. He pushed himself back, away from the girl.

"I said go!" he repeated. Lily frowned.

"Hmm. I'm just trying to give you some help. You look like you need it," she stated, extending her hand to him. He snarled, and a look of concentration came over him as a weak blast of flame erupted from his fingertips. The girl deflected it with an elemental spell of her own. The man gasped, and clutched his stomach, falling to the ground. Lily's frown deepened.

"Well, fine, if that's how you want to act." With that, she stood, and slowly started to walk up the stairs, avoiding the trail of spattered blood. "I don't think you'll be able to fend off the heartless in that state," the girl said, stopping halfway up the steps and turning to face him. A look of realization flashed momentarily from his features, and he gritted his teeth in pure stubborn frustration. Lily gave a snort of satisfaction. She dashed back down the steps and kneeled beside the man. He gave her a puzzled look, and she gently placed his arm around her shoulders.

"What?" she asked him, noticing his questioning look. With her help, the man stood, and shook his head.

"N-nothing. Thanks… for helping me," he told her, clutching his abdomen and leaning heavily on the girl's slight form.

"No problem, you stubborn thing," she said with a small chuckle. His knees shook unsteadily beneath him, and Lily led him to the stairs.

"So what's your name, Stubborn Thing?" she asked, helping him up the steps.

"Axel. Yours?"

"Lily," she said in reply. They continued their careful climb in silence.

"Sorry for going all 'cornered-animal' on you," Axel said, breaking the momentary silence, "I was just a bit pissed." Lily snorted in amusement.

"Don't worry about it. I'd probably be pissed if I were in your… predicament. So… what happened to you? If you don't mind the interrogation," she said. They reached the top of the steps.

"Naw, its fine. I just lost a fight, is all," he told her.

"Hmm," she hummed in reply, leading him down a street. Axel suddenly became alert, and then hurriedly led Lily toward an ally between shops. The girl gave him a curious look, but helped him over anyway.

"Axel, what-" He silenced her by covering her mouth with his free hand, and pressed her against the wall. The girl went stiff, and glared at him with mounting suspicion. A figure passed by the ally, calling her name.

"Lily! Lily!" It was Cloud. The girl struggled against Axel, who winced and held her fast.

"Shh, just trust me, please!" he pleaded in a hoarse whisper. Lily stopped struggling, breathing heavily through her nose, all the while eyeing the redhead darkly. Cloud soon continued his search, and Axel removed his hand from her mouth. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned unsteadily on her.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "but because of the leader I follow and the group I have joined, a lot of people would enjoy seeing me dead," he said to the girl. She raised her eyebrow in response, and put her arm around his back.

"Alright," she said, leading him out of the ally, "But I deserve some explanations once we get to my house." They walked on under the lamp and starlight.

"Sounds fair enough," Axel agreed.


	2. Oganization XIII

Axel sat in the middle of Lily's living room floor, with various medical supplies spread around him. Lily sat behind him, carefully working at stitching up a deep slice on his back. He winced, and the muscles on his bare back tensed as the girl worked with the needles and thread.

"Relax, ginger snap, I'm almost done," she said. Lily soon finished, and Axel gave a sigh of relief. The girl started wrapping up his torso with bandages. The two remained in silence for a while, until Lily spoke up.

"You're in Organization XIII, aren't you?" she asked him solemnly. Axel turned his spiked head to the side, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Yes," he answered, "I'm sorry if you're one of those who are against us," he apologized.

"No, it's fine. I guess I'm neutral in that regard. But I once had a friend in the organization. He-"

Both Axel and Lily jumped as the door to the house burst open. A normally brooding Cloud was standing there, now looking very distraught.

"Lilondra!" he exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" the girl asked.

"I came here to check on you a little while ago, but you weren't back yet. I went to look for you and saw blood down the steps where I last saw you."

Ever since her brother's death, Cloud had stepped in as her brother figure.

He eyed the battered and bandaged Axel darkly.

"Who're you?" he asked flatly.

"Cloud, this is Axel," Lily relied before Axel could say anything. "That was his blood you saw. I just finished patching him up." Cloud nodded slowly.

"Alright. As long as you're safe, Lilondra. I don't like you being out at night with these recent Heartless attacks," he told her.

"I can take care of myself," Lily replied with a frown, "I'm picking up quickly on Merlin's lessons," she informed him. He gave a sigh.

"I know. But I promised your brother I'd look after you." And with that, Cloud left the house. Lily sighed and finished with Axel's bandaging.

"Sorry about that. Cloud can be a little over-protective sometimes," she told him.

"He your boyfriend? A little paranoid, don't ya think…" Axel said. The girl snorted.

"No, not my boyfriend. My brother was his best friend. Then he was taken. And killed."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Lily…" Axel told her.

"It's fine, really." Lily stood. "Bed or couch, Ginger Snap?" the girl asked. The redhead rose as well.

"I guess I'll take the couch," he told her. She nodded and spread an assortment of blankets on the small white couch. She helped him get settled, then patted his spiky red head.

"Sweet dreams, Ginger Snap," she said as she started walking out of the room.

"Right back at ya," he replied, "minus the redhead joke," muttered the fiery-haired one. Lily chuckled as she made her way to her room, flopping down on her bed. She changed into more comfortable sleepwear, and climbed into her bed. The tired girl buried her head into her pillow, and soon fell asleep.


	3. Heartless

Lilondra woke with a start. She sat up in her bed and looked wildly around in the dark as a crash sounded from her living room. A blast of light erupted, momentarily lighting the doorway and casting flickery shadows over her striped mattress. A roar sounded, a frustrated male one, then a screech. Lily threw back the blankets and leapt out of bed. Her bare feet pounded across the cold wooden floor as she ran into the living room.

"Ginger Snap, what-" she started, flipping on the light switch. The girl gasped as the lamp flicked on.

"Axel!" she cried. The redhead was once again bloodied, from new and old injuries. Small black heartless surrounded him, creeping and slithering, more coming through the open window. Axel was fighting them off with fire, and two circular, spiked weapons. The small black creatures looked at the girl with beady yellow eyes, and started slithering toward her.

"Lily!" Axel roared, and spun his weapon. It flew like a boomerang, catching the heartless, and ripping into them. He caught it on its way back, and the heartless burst into black smoke. More of the dark creatures continued to pour from the open window. One jumped, and landed on the lamp, sending it crashing to the floor. The room plunged into darkness, except for the streetlight outside and the glowing yellow eyes of the black creatures.

Lily lunged in the direction of the window, led by the faint light of the streetlights. A beady-eyed heartless sprang at her. The girl grunted as she kicked, sending it flying into the door. Lily fought her way to the window, and slammed it shut. The girl cast blizzara as the heartless lunged at her.

"Lily, duck!" Axel shouted. The girl dropped to the floor, and the room lit up as a blast of flame shot over her head, killing the heartless that were about to attack her. The surviving creatures dashed at Lily. With a roar, the redhead threw himself on the girl. She grunted under his weight as he pressed against her.

"Axel!" the girl cried as she felt the added weight of the heartless, and heard his shout of pain. He tensed and yelled, fire exploding around them. All went quiet, and Axel went limp on top of Lily. The redhead's breath was shallow and raspy in her ear.

"Axel?" she whispered nervously. He didn't respond. The girl wriggled out from underneath the organization member. Her eyes had become used to the dark, and she sighted the blood that spattered the wooden floor.

Lily pulled the redhead's upper body up against her, and leaned his head against her chest. "Hold on, Axel," she whispered, stroking back his long spiky hair. He groaned as he started to stir.

"Lily…" he whispered, lifting himself up.

"Its okay, Axel. I'll get you fixed up again," she told him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. You're not, though." Axel gave a grunt, and fell back against Lily. She caught him, and once again held him. "Come on, Ginger Snap, we have to get you to my room." With her help, Axel was able to stand and make it back to Lily's bedroom. The girl laid him down on her bed, and turned on the lamp. She once again found herself bandaging him up.

"Thanks. Again," the redhead told her, while she was finishing up.

"No problem. Again," Lily said with a chuckle.


	4. A Friend From the Past

Axel's skin was blanched, and covered in a thin sheen of sweat as Lily worked at cleaning and dressing his new and old wounds. His breathing was shallow, unnatural. Lily's brow was knit with concentration and worry as she watched Axel dip in and out of consciousness.

"Axel," she said firmly. He didn't respond vocally, his emerald eyes turning to her. "Stay with me," she pleaded, "You've lost a lot of blood. Don't take your eyes off me." She worked quickly, her hands streaked with his blood.

Which seemed to be everywhere at this point.

Axel's head turned slightly as he continued to stare at Lily, his lips parted as he panted feebly.

"I... don't think I can... stay with you... too much... longer..." he struggled to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. Despite Lily's efforts to keep him conscious, Axel's head fell limply to the side as his eyes closed. She cursed under her breath, quickening her pace frantically. Soon she was finished, and she used the unbloodied crook of her elbow to wipe her own sweat from her forehead. Hurrying to her bathroom, Lily cleaned herself of Axel's blood, returning to him with a damp cloth when she was finished. She placed it on his pale forehead.

"Its gonna be okay," she whispered to his fitful form.

A clatter on her window caused her to jump, and look frantically toward the noise. More beady eyes of the heartless waited outside, scratching at the window.

"No..." Lily growled as she crawled onto her bed beside Axel, gently sliding her knees under his head to set it on her lap. She held him protectively, defiantly.

The beady eyes quickly disappeared into a cloud of black smoke as the heartless were somehow destroyed. Lilondra watched wide-eyed as a figure dashed outside of the dark window. The sound of combat met her ears, and Lily stared watchfully. The noise ceased, and a face was at the window. Lily startled at the sudden appearance, but stared back at the crimson eyes of the person outside. His gaze was partially covered by shaggy raven hair, white at the ends. He gave a half smile, and waved innocently. Lily carefully placed Axel's head onto her pillow, and dashed to the window. The cool night air rushed over her as she heaved the window open.

"Tex!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" The teenage boy leaned leisurely against his long scythe as he propped its twin over his shoulder.

"Oh you know, just in the neighborhood," he replied.

"Its good to see you again, Tex..." Lily told him. Tex nodded in agreement as he smiled.

"Its good to see you too, Lily. Is that Axel over there?" he asked, looking past her into the room. Lily nodded.

"Go around to the door. I don't want this window open any longer." Tex gave a quick nod of acknowledgment, and was gone from the window. Lily secured it, and went to the door to let Tex in. He dismissed his weapons and followed Lily to the bedroom. Standing over Axel, they both regarded his unconscious form. Tex frowned.

"He's not lookin' too good," he observed, his dark brows furrowed. Lily went to her place behind Axel, his head in her lap.

"He needs a health potion... I'm fresh out," Lily told him. Tex reached into the traveling satchel that hung at his side, rummaging through it. He produced a vile of emerald liquid, and handed it to Lily. She thanked him as she opened it. Carefully, Lily placed the vile to Axel's lips, tilting his head back as she poured the contents into his mouth. He sputtered in his sleep as the potion ran down his throat. His eyes fluttered open, and they moved from Lily to Tex. He blinked groggily.

"What are you doing here, Tex?" he asked, his voice scratchy.

"Just passing by, actually. Stopped by to help a friend out." Lily smiled as she smoothed Axel's spiky hair.

"Welcome back, Ginger Snap." Axel looked up at her.

"You okay?" He asked. Lily nodded in response as she removed the damp cloth that he no longer needed.

"You're gonna need some time to regain your strength and health," Lily informed him.

He snorted, closing his eyes.

"I feel like shit."

"You look like shit, too, man."

"Thanks, Tex."

Lily smiled as she crawled out from under Axel's head.

"Come on, Axel, you need your sleep," she told him, throwing back the blankets of the unoccupied side of the bed. Axel winced as he slowly and carefully moved to the other side, and Lily tugged the blankets back over him when he made it. Tex helped her remove and replace the top two blankets that had gotten ruined with blood. They left Axel to sleep in Lily's room, and made their way to the living room.

"You stickin' around?" Lily asked her friend. Tex smiled.

"I'm afraid not, Lil. My room at Castle Oblivion calls. Hollow Bastion was last on my list of realms to patrol." Lily looked down at the floor, her eyes wandering over all the blood stains.

"But we haven't seen you in years."

"I know. And I'm sorry for that. If things with the Organization settle down, you should get Axel to bring you to Castle Oblivion." Lily looked up at Tex, a smile on her own face.

"You think Xemnes would mind?"

"Eh, what the coot doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, Demyx would love to see you again too," Tex added softly. Lily looked away from him, her thoughts returning to her beloved friends and the time they spent together a few years ago.

"I would like that very much," she told him. He beamed, his red eyes sparkling.

"Hope to see you soon," Tex said, a portal of black and purple tendrils appearing behind him.

"Same, Tex. Take care," she told her friend, and he gave one last smile before disappearing into the portal.

Lily sighed as she made her way to her bedroom, stumbling slightly in the dark. Her body ached with exhaustion, and she quickly changed out of her bloody clothes. She crawled into her bed, being careful not to wake Axel, who was sound asleep on the other side. It took no time at all for the tired girl to fall into a deep sleep.


End file.
